Blog Number 4; 5/12/2021; Living in a Gator's Paradise

 

    The Everglade’s tropical climate makes it the best place in the USA for herping, which is searching for reptiles and amphibians. With a total of 198 native and non-native reptiles and amphibians, it’s a herpetologist paradise. Reptiles are very fragile when it comes to their environment, for they are cold blooded. This gives us a sign across the board for herps, if more herp deaths occur then normal, the climate has gotten too cold.

               

The sea turtle is the most well-known ocean dwelling reptile on the planet. We awe at their majesties and they are associated with peace. There are six species of sea turtle that reside off the glades, but we will be covering specifically the most common one, the loggerhead. Sea turtles are also one of the most widely known example of changes to our everyday lives to save a group of species. From certain countries banning plastic bags to some restaurants using biodegradable straws to fines for having lights on during turtle season. The reason for this is a simple one. Most sea turtle diets consist largely of jellyfish. Plastic bags resemble jellies when in the water, causing the turtle to eat them. Loggerheads can hold their breath for up to seven hours. However, when they are stressed, they can only hold it for a few minutes. This usually happens to adult turtles, which when you learn about how strong the individual turtle must have been, it becomes more of a tragedy. Turtles play the number game with their eggs, with a single female laying up to 800 eggs in a single season. The turtles do not expect all of their eggs to survive to adulthood, which is why they lay so many. More well-known examples of this in nature include the house mouse and the eastern cottontail rabbit. The eggs are common prey to night herons, fire ants, and foxes. Once the turtle hatches, it must bolt to the ocean, where it is vulnerable to ghost crabs and vultures. An estimated one is ten thousand survive to adulthood. Heat is also very important for the clutch of eggs. The sex of many reptile eggs depends on the temperature incubated. Research shows that eggs incubated above 81.86 degrees Fahrenheit will be female, and below will be male. An abundance of one sex over the other can help us know about the climate of the beach.

               

The green anole is an eight-inch, slender lizard that is a common sight in the glades. They are commonly miss-identified as chameleons. Even though there is a breeding population of chameleons near Miami, they are visually much different. The main reason for the misidentification is the green anole’s ability to change its color from green to brown and vice versa. This is caused by one of three factors, camouflage, emotion, and temperature. In colder weather, specifically under seventy degrees Fahrenheit, the green anole is brown. This offers much confusion for the average viewer, for the other two most common anoles in Florida are the Cuban brown and the Florida bark, which are also brown. They also change their color for camouflage. Green anoles rarely venture to the ground, often residing in shrubs and trees. This change from green to brown can help them blend in with the leaves, and then the branches. Anoles are on the lower end of the food web in the glades, a common prey to egrets and most snakes. Camouflage is their main defense mechanism. The last reason for changing color is emotion. Studies have shown when green anole are happy, they become green, and when they are sad, they become brown. I know it is controversial to use these words describing animals, for many people believe they do not have feelings, but I think it is egotistical and ignorant for us to believe we are the only creatures with emotions.

               

Florida’s most famous reptile, and animal, is the American alligator. They are actually the top predator of the terrestrial Everglades, beating wolves, bears, and panthers. It is never smart to approach a gator, mainly because of the idiot factor. The idiot factor is taking in to account the uneducated people who have interacted with that gator, causing changes in behavior. If that specific gator has been fed by humans before, it will begin to associate people with food. This makes them more likely to lunge at you. There are two ways of dealing with an aggressive gator, which are based upon their behavior. If a gator lunges itself at you, quickly fall back, get on top of the gator so you both are facing the same direction, and hold its mouth shut. While gators have a strong bite force, they have evolved to hold onto their prey, making them have a weak mouth opening ability. It is so weak that fiddler crabs have been documented to hold a gator’s mouth shut. The second way of dealing with an aggressive gator is running in a zig zag shape. Gators can run very fast, but only in a straight line. By running in a zig-zag shape, it allows for easy escape. Similar to the turtles, the hatchlings’ sex depends on the temperature of incubation, with colder for male and warmer for female. We can use the same method as the loggerhead to decipher whether the temperature has been getting warmer or colder, by an abundance of one sex. Alligators can often be seen in the rivers and swamps with only their back and top of head appearing out of the water. They camouflage themselves as logs, not for protection, but for hunting. An animal such as an otter or a heron will see no threat in the log, leaving the gator is the perfect spot to attack. They have even gone as far as balancing sticks upon their backs, attracting nesting birds to them. Some birds such as the great egret or the spoonbill actually build their nests right above frequent alligators spots. While the risk of a gator eating a falling egg or chick is high, it is actually the safest place for these birds to nest. Opossums and raccoons, which usually eat chicks and eggs, do not go near gator territories because gators eat them as well. It is sort of like having a serial killer as a neighbor. Sure, there is a chance you will be killed, but no other killers would dare go near you.

                I decided to take a different approach this time for research. Along with doing the usual reading and googling, I also watched documentaries on these three reptiles while taking notes. This proved to be quite efficient and effective, and is a strategy I will now be employing more often. However, I did not have to learn on how to deal with an aggressive gator. Since I often hike in the swamps when I am down there, I have learned how to deal with potential threats such as gators, panthers, and rattlesnakes. I probably would be dead by now if I did not know these, for I have had to run zig zag style from a gator before. Lesson of the day, be prepared for what you may find in nature.